-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Aviation is n't known as the most eco-friendly industry . Carbon emissions aside , running an airline produces an incredible amount of waste . Everything from uneaten food to outdated uniforms is potential landfill fodder .

Southwest Airlines , for one , has decided to do something about it . After a large-scale redesign of many of its 737 aircraft , the carrier found itself with an excess of 80,000 leather seat covers -- enough to fill the Empire State Building .

`` We had this idea of ` could we do something with this leather beyond recycling it or shredding it ? Could we repurpose it ? ' '' says Marilee McInnis , the airline 's senior manager of culture and communications .

Southwest dubbed the initiative `` Luv Seat : Repurpose with Purpose , '' and reached out to potential partners to take the used leather , but found that there were few takers .

`` It 's awesome to have a great idea , but you have to have support for those -- quote-unquote -- great ideas . I worked with our green team for nine months to find a use for the leather . It 's actually much harder than you think it would be , '' says McInnis .

Following the advice of Bill Tiffany , a Southwest VP who grew up in Kenya , the airline started looking towards Africa for recipients of the used leather . Rather than just donating the goods and leaving it there , the airline decided to take a more holistic approach , giving the materials to NGOs that will use them to provide job training and health education .

The main partner is SOS Children 's Villages Kenya , which is providing paid apprenticeships and training to orphaned youth , who in turn make shoes and soccer balls from the leather . The shoes are given to Maasai Treads , who distributes them as part of a campaign to fight debilitating foot parasites . The soccer balls are donated to Alive & Kicking , a charity that uses sport to educate young people on HIV/AIDS and malaria prevention .

`` It 's really easy to donate and walk away . We did n't want to do that . The leather is finite , but the skills these young people will learn will hopefully take them through their lives , '' says McInnis .

The redesign was itself an environmental measure . The seats were reupholstered with E-leather , a substance created from scraps the leather industry discards . The material is also lighter , reducing the weight of each aircraft by 600 pounds , and saving on fuel .

No incentive

Scott Hamlin , the founder of upcycling company Looptworks and Southwest 's only U.S. partner , says the reason companies are resistant to using second-hand materials is that there 's no financial imperative .

`` It is unfortunately cheaper and easier for most companies to take materials they 've used or have purchased at some point in time and just throw them away . Just landfill or incinerate then , '' he says .

There is , however , an ecological incentive . According to Hamlin , who will create special-edition bags from the leather , each bag uses 4,000 gallons less water than if created using virgin leather . He also puts the CO2 reduction at 82 % .

`` The circular economy starts to work when the value of the carbon emissions and water starts coming into play , like in the UK , where they will soon start having tax benefits for low-carbon companies , '' he says .

An upcycling uptick ?

Though Luv Seat is perhaps the largest airline-led upcycling initiative , it is not the first of its kind . When KLM redesigned cabin crew uniforms in 2011 , the carrier had the surplus fabric woven into the carpets that lined the business class cabin in the then-new 747-400 fleet . Air France last year had old uniforms recycled into car insulation , and in the past has repurposed plastic meal trays to create cutlery , and used the cables from seat backs to make headphones .

`` When we launch a new product , we always ask , ` what is the life cycle of this product and what will we do with it at the end of its life ? ' '' says Sophie Virapin , Air France 's vice president of sustainable development .

It 's a trend that 's only likely to grow .

`` This is a new area for us , and with the leather , we 're just dipping our toe in the water , '' explains McInnis .

`` Our CEO has asked , ` what else can we upcycle ? ' So I 'm hoping we 'll see upcycling for years to come . ''

Report : Airline recycling in ` sorry state '

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Southwest Airlines is repurposing 80,000 used leather seat covers

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The carrier has teamed with African NGOs to reuse the leather

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The leather will be used in job training and various health education initiatives